On Saturday those same producers opened the doors of their premises to provide a unique behind the scenes opportunity to sample delicious fresh produce at source.
On the trail were Turk's Corn Fed Free Range Poultry, Woody's Free Range Farm, RJ's Licorice, Thoroughbread Foods, Genoese Foods, Tendertips Asparagus and Levin Eel Trading.
Chairman of the Horowhenua Taste Trail, Antony Young, said this year they created a trust and added an entrance fee to make the event more sustainable. He said that with the Taste Trail they had struck "lightning in a bottle".
"People want to know about their food and where it comes from, they want to support locally grown and know the stories behind the business," he said.
"We unfortunately had to charge entry this year but I believe it's an affordable level and puts the heat on us to create a memorable experience. Horowhenua District Council launched the annual event last year, but had to bear the brunt of the financial cost of the free event."
This year Rabobank has come on board as a sponsor of the Taste Trail, something the bank's regional manager Rua Crofskey said aligned with its story.
Rabobank is a specialist food and agribusiness bank that encourages sustainable growth and prosperity at both a corporate and industry level.
Director at Tendertips, the Horowhenua asparagus producer, Cam Lewis, told those at the cocktail party, "We are a bite-size community but really punch above our weight in terms of what we produce."
